Odyessy Mars Mission

Bob_Trevithick · Mar 13, 2002

For any Mars fans, here are a couple of interesting links to Richard C. Hoagland's site. Hoagland was science advisor to Walter Cronkite, recipient of the Angstrom Science Award, consultant to NASA, and on and on. He's a very bright guy! Mike Bara, one of Hoagland's partners in crime, wrote these pieces.. and I think it's just fascinating what the THEMIS and high energy neutron data is showing.. even at this early stage of the "science phase" of the mission.

Before the NASA press briefing:

http://www.enterprisemission.com/right.htm

If anyone is interested, follow the various links and you will find a rather interesting and perhaps disturbing pattern emerging...

Bob

Youare · Mar 13, 2002

Thanks for the mention of this expedition. The company I work for made the optical filters for some of the equipment being used on this mission.

I designed and built a device to test the optical filters we made which simulated the environments of space, heat and cold cycles in a vacuum.

I hope the mission is a sucess./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Randy

Bob_Trevithick · Mar 13, 2002

...I designed and built a device to test the optical filters we made which simulated the environments of space, heat and cold cycles in a vacuum. 

Looks like you did it right, Randy! Good work!!

Bob

Youare · Mar 13, 2002

Thanks, but I only made the test device to torture these filters/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif, some other smart people designed and manufactured the optical filters.

We also made some new optical filters that were part of the repairs made to the Hubble telescope last week.

Every once in a while you get to do something that has a higher level of exposure to the rest of the world. However, what is more important are the things that are done everyday in the ordinary work-a-day routines by so many people.

Randy

Bob_Trevithick · Mar 13, 2002

...Every once in a while you get to do something that has a higher level of exposure to the rest of the world. However, what is more important are the things that are done everyday in the ordinary work-a-day routines by so many people.

I hear ya. If you are free to talk about it, and feel so inclined, what else do you do, and what else does your company do? Sounds like interesting work. To be involved with the Hubble, well, I'd give my left.. er.. never mind.. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

Wingnut · Mar 13, 2002

the only disturbing pattern is see is the amount of money wasted on dead-end missions.
Other than obsolesce a whole batch of science fiction stories, what have we gained from the Mars missions?
We can send space waste to Mars or past Pluto or whatever ... but we can't stop an incoming from Iraq .... sorry, my priorities are a little different.
Spend the money on floating factories or GPS or annthing that gives us back a real value. Build real spaceships ... but stop all this exploration for explorations sake ...

Wingnut - a concerned (high) taxpayer

Youare · Mar 13, 2002

The company I work for makes optical filters. The product we make filters light. All of the products we make are used in equipment manufactured by other companies.

The industries we make parts for are bio-medical, astronomy, bio-chemical, and labs. microscope filters. The coatings we put on glass substrates is done in high vacuum chambers through a process known as physical vapor deposition. That is a fancy term for vaporizing a material and controling the condensing or coating of that material on the glass substrate. The coating is made up of many layers of several different materials.

I have been with this company for a little more than 3 years, I was downsized by my previous employer after 27 years. There I spent most of the time doing manufacturing engineering, they made printing systems.

Now I get to over see the maintenance dept. they even let me help them work on the equipment. As well as provide engineering services because of my previous experience and because no one else here was really looking at how we can make things better, equipment improvement.

I am greatrful to be blessed with a job I like to go to everyday, even though some days it gets a little crazy. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

I often wonder what the rest of you do when you can't be in the tractor seat?

Randy

Bob_Trevithick · Mar 13, 2002

Sounds like a neat job, Randy!

I sit at a computer terminal all day, monitoring the system status, taking help calls, creating new accounts, and writing systems programs. I'm surrounded by four monitors, so it's good that we don't plan to have kids (except for foster kids) as they would likely be born with fins after all this radiation. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

Bob

RanchMan · Mar 13, 2002

I too hate to see a mission fail (such as screwing up English/Metric units and burning up a spacecraft in the Martian atmosphere - a true waste) - but I'm not sure "exploration" in itself is a "dead-end."

This is not a new subject as there have always been folks who have said we should "boot" the space program and spend money on "local" societal issues/problems - e.g. job creation, welfare, the homeless, hunger, etc.

But, I guess there are 2 points I'd like to make here. (1) Humans, in general, are curious creatures - we simply want to "know stuff". Whether it be space exploration or things more terrestrial- and (2) There are benefits that aren't always apparent at first that do wind up giving us back "a real value".

(1) Curiosity: What about Einstein & others who "explored" the power of the atom? What about Archaeologists who "explore" the fossil record? What about those "explored" new lands (e.g. North America, etc)? Regardless of the motivation (e.g. money, power, prestige) or funding (private or governmental) I'd venture to say that curiosity was also a driving force to these individuals actions. I.E. Knowledge is a good thing. Does that mean any crazy "exploration" activity should be pursued? Heck no! Should we go broke doing it? Heck no! But I believe that we should not only "focus" on things that bring "real value" - I would rather learn and expand my education/understanding (that's why I paid my way through school after all).

(2) Paybacks: There are always spinoffs of exploration that give "real value." No, not everything, and no, not always right away, but due to the nature of exploration missions (often hard to do, complex, distant activities), they in themselves force us to solve problems that we never would have tried to solve. Then, somewhere down the road, we find where that solution can offer "real value" to something "closer to home". For example, the Apollo missions led directly to CT & MRI scans and kidney dialysis to the medical community. Even though they were never intended to lead to these capabilities, millions upon millions of patients have benefitted due to this "explorative technology". In my book, I think that fits the term "real value".

Look, I'm not trying to be snide or a "smarty pants" about any of this. And I agree, the government spends WAY too much money on bogus things, (and there are LOTS of govt. programs I'd like to see 'cut'!). But, that being said, I believe the view to "stop exploration for explorations sake" is a bad idea.

PS: This is where you can look up what the US space program (including missions to Mars) has contributed regarding the "real value" world.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/>http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/</A>

Bob_Trevithick · Mar 13, 2002

...Other than obsolesce a whole batch of science fiction stories, what have we gained from the Mars missions?

Well, one thing we may have gained is a whole new understanding of physics, which, if it's correct, and it appears to be, would give you all the other things you've mentioned and a million times more.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.enterprisemission.com/hyper1.html>http://www.enterprisemission.com/hyper1.html</A>

Hoagland took some of the initial Viking data, and, well, if you're interested you can read it on the link above.

Sorry if I'm boring people with this stuff.. just a hobby and fascination of mine...

Bob